Timing device for controlling telephone or other circuits



Aug. 8, 1933. 5 CQNNELL 1,921,733

TIMING DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING 'ITELEPHONE L CR OTHER CIRCUITS Filed March 21, 1931"" 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 8, 1933. I s CQNNELL 1,921,733

TIMING DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING TELEPHONE OR OTHER CIRCUITS Filed March 21, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a I HIIHIHI W I ,1 ,wunmnm To illustrate the utility and operation of my Patented Aug. 8, 1933 UNITED, STATES PATENT 1Q 1 .PHQNE 0R OTHER CIRCUITS Sidney Connell, Was'hingt'on, D; 0., 'assignor of,

eighty-two per cent to'William H. Edward H. Spindler, trustees Grund and My invention relates to an arrangement for controlling the time during which a telephone or other electric circuit is to be closed and in 'condition for user The object of the invention is to provide a device capable of use with various kinds of instruments, "machines and apparatus for the purpose of permitting operation or use'of the same for a predetermined period of time, after which the device automatically interrupts the c'ircuitto such instrument or apparatus, The invention aims particularly to provide an arrangement for use at atelephone pay station and which willbe actuated by the deposit of afcoin to-l imit or'control the length of time during which the telephone maybe used after the coin is inserted.

v More specifically, my inventioncontemplates H *current is sent through the line. When .the cona device of simple construction, utilizing a solenoidor motor magnet and dash pot in combination with an operating member or lever which acts to control various electrical contacts, the operation of the motormagnet being initiated manually or by thedeposit of a coinas in the case of a" telephone circuit.

The inventionis illustrated in one form in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1. isa longitudinal sectional viewof parts of a construction embodying the invention; e T l '1 Figure 2 is an end elevation'of the construction shown in Figure 1;v r Figure 3 is a vertical section of a slightly modified' arrangement of dash pot; p f

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail of one of the contacts or switches employed; and Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical circuits employed in my construction when applied to the control of a telephone cirf cuit.

-. invention, I have shown it, applied to a telephone such, for instance, as adial phone used in the booths or public pay stations ofra telephone systern and operated bydepositing a coin in a typical slot machine, but it will be understood that the invention adapted for use with various otherinstruments, machines andapparatus for controllingHor measuring a predetermined period of time during which such instruments may .be operated. I

In the diagram of Figure 5, the main telephone lines are indicated at. 1 and 2 'and connected thereto is the circuit to be controlledwhich is known. form of telephone circuit. This circuitim 0.3

cludes= the usual receiver 4 andtransmitter '5. In addition this circuit, or branches thereof, includes the contact 6, the contact 3a and marginal relay 3b. The contact 6 controls outgoing calls from the stationsince, as will be clear from'w the drawings, when this contact iscloseda'nd the receiver 4 removed from its hook, a complete circuit WiIL-bQCStabHShBd from one side of the main line through thetransmitter and receiver and contact 6 to the other side of theline. The W takes place when the usualalternating. ringing.

' of the marginal relay 3b is attracted andsthis a tact 3a is closed by theli'ingingcurrentrand the receiver 4 is removed from its hook, the usual talking current from the line 1, 2 will pass through the magnet of the marginal relay 3b 'andcenergize the same to hold the armature 3d and keep the contact 3a closed asv long as the receiver is oil? the hook. This provides for 'incoming'calls to $0 the station. 1 The marginal relay is so constructed that the ordinary talking current of the line-will not attract the armature'3dto close the contact the marginal relay; it will-be held closed until the circuit is broken by placing the'receiveron its hook. As noted, the contact 6-controls thef outgoing calls fromthefstation and associated with this contact is the mech'anismfor measur- '3a "so this contact isnormally open,'but when closed by the action of the ringing current through ing or controlling the length of timesuch' contact remains closed, This mechanism includes an auxiliary circuit' 'lfand any suitable source 3 of'current such as a battery 8 or such circuit, if'

desired,'may be connected to the lines 1, 2. .-The circuit '7 contains a normally open switchi9'which 1 is adapted to be momentarily closed by-a coinin any well known manner or, insome adaptations} of my'invention, this switch may -be' manually operated. An electro-magnet 10 is also included in the auxiliary circuit '7 and when energized this current continues to flowthrough thiscircuit in cluding the magnet 10, so that contacts 12 and 13 are held closed' even though the contact 9 is Lclosed only momentarily as by the passage ,of a

coin. The circuit .7 also f includes the normally closed contact 14. L'I hecontact 13 controls cirfi "magnet attracts an armature 11 which carries contactsrl2 and 13. The contact 1215 in shunt v v with circuit '7 and when this contact is closed is predetermined and governeddevice is in the nature of a cylinder dash pot havcult 15 which includes a source of electrical power such as a battery 15a or, if desired, theline wires 1 and 2. circuit of the device and includes a motor magnet I or solenoid 16, connected to a control member 17,

shown inthe form of a lever; pivoted at 18 and normally held in the position illustrated by means of a spring 19. In this position the lever 17 holds' the contact. 6 open but when the lever is drawn down this contact automatically closes. the lever 17 approaches its lowermost position it engages and opens the contact 14. The. lever 1'1 is drawn down when motor magnet 16 is enersized and a retarding device in the'form of a clash pot 20 regulates the time required for the lever 17 to move down and return to its initial position. After the contact 14 is opened by the descent of the lever 1'7, the circuit through the Y m'agnet'lO is broken, the armature 11 is retracted, opening the contacts 12 and 13, de-energizing the solenoid 16, and the spring 19 then'returns the lever to its initial position.

The various parts of the device are shownas mounted on a support 30. The switch or contact 6 comprises a fixed member Ga-and a resilientmovable member 61) which engages the member 6a.when the .leverl'l moves downwardly. Normally the member 6b is held out of contact with the member Ga by the lever 1']. The switch or contact 14 likewise comprises a fixed member 14a and a resilient movable member 14?) which lies beneath and normally engages the member 14a but'which .isseparated therefrom by the lever ,17 when the latter movesinto its lowermost position, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The

' armature 11- is carried by a spring arm 11a which -moves the armature awayfrom the magnet 10 when the circuit thereof is broken.

The solenoid or motor magnet 16 is preferably enclosed in a casing 31'which'is shown as threaded into a base 32. secured to the support 30.

- The core of the solenoid, indicated at 33, is provided witha stem 34 pivotally connected by a pin and slotto the lever 17, the lever 1'7 being pivoted" to the support 30. The spring 19 at one end is connected to the short arm of the lever 1'7 and .at its otherendis anchored to thesupport 30, the tension of the spring beingmade variable or adjustable by'means of :lock nuts 35 and 36, respectively above and below the support 30.

{Thespring' 19, as before stated, is designed to return the-leverll to the position shown in Figure .1 after an operation by thelever and to re- -tain it in such position until the next stroke or operation.

I The movements of the lever 17 under the action 'of the motor magnet 16 are controlled or measured by the retarding device 20 so that the period of time during which the switch 5 remains closed The retarding ing a head 37 secured to the support 30 and pro 'vided with a plunger or piston 38 having a stem 39 pivotally connected by pin and slot to the long 7 end of thelever 17. As the piston 38 moves down in the cylinder, the air is more or less compressed and thus retards the action of the solenoid or motor magnet 16 and'the degree of compression is controlled or regulated to govern this movement of the piston. For this purpose a port 40 j is located in the wall of .the cylinder near its bottom and communicates with the atmosphere,

this portbeing controlled by'a needle valve 41 adjustably mounted ina casing 42 secured to or integral with the wall of P the dash" pot. This The circuit 15 is the main operating .needle valve 41. When valve can be set to regulate the area ofthe port 40, thereby governing the resistance offered by the compressed air inthe cylinder to the descent of the piston. After the piston reaches its lowermost position and starts to move upwardly under action of the spring 19, as heretofore noted, such upward movement is retarded because the flow of air, into the cylinder is restricted by the The setting of this valve therefore measures or determines the time required for the leverl'lto make a complete downward and upward movement or the time during which the contact 6 is closed and the circuitcontrolled thereby is operative;

In some cases a quick downward movement of the lever 17 and a slow upward movement may be desirable. This is accomplished by the modified arrangement of Figure 3 in which a check valve 43 permits the air to readily escape when the piston moves downwardly, this valve being provided with a leak passage which permits slow ingress of air as the piston moves upwardly, By a reversal of the arrangement shown in Figure 3,. i. e. by arranging the check valve to open .100

inwardly, a slow downward movement and quick return movement of thelever 17 may be pro-' vided. v It is clear that the circuit controlled by the contact 6 may be other than a telephone circuit'and that the. contact 9 may be manually operated instead of automatically closed by means of a coin.

This application is a'continuation in part of my pending application Serial No. 514,873, filed February 10, 1931.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: 1 v I 1. In combination with a telephone circuit, a contact for controlling said circuit, a member arranged to engage said contact and normally hold the same open, a motor magnet for moving said member out of engagement'with said contact to permit closing of the same, a. circuit for saidmagnet, means for opening said last mentioned circuit to de-energize said magnet and-thereby permit said member to return tornormal 'position' in engagement with said contact andv a l spring for returning said member to normal posh tion.

2. A construction asspecified in claim 1 including a dash pot for retarding the movement of said member.

3; In'combination with a telephone} circuit, .a;

to be opened thereby to tie-energize said magnet,

a retarding device for controlling the movement of said "lever under the action of said'motor magnet, and a spring for returning'said'lever to its normal position after saidsecond named contact is opened. V 4. In combination with the main lines of a telephone system, a station havinga circuit ineluding a receiver and transmitter and a normally open'contact, a magnet adapted to be,sub'jected to aringing current sent over the line for closing said. contact, said magnet being included in said circuit and operating by means of the talking current to maintain said contact closed after the ringing current is discontinued, whereby incoming calls to said station'may be received through said circuit, a shunt circuit connected to said first named circuit, a normally open contact in said shunt circuit, said last named contact serving when closed to complete a' circuit for outgoing calls from said station, a movable member arrangedto normally engage said last named contact'and hold it open, electrically operatedmeans i-for moving said member in one direction to permit 

